


Warnings Unheeded

by timeless_alice



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, Expanding On A Character Who Literally Only Appeared Twice, Gen, Government Corruption, In Which Warnings Get Ignored, Unhappy Ending, foregone conclusion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 12:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14332701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeless_alice/pseuds/timeless_alice
Summary: In light of the Clampdown and Senate desires to get rid of political opponents, Dai Atlas approaches a fellow man of faith who put himself in the line of fire.





	Warnings Unheeded

 

Recordings did not do the intensity and fire of Pious Maximus’ speeches justice. Those present were silent as he spoke, but the room was still alive with energy, the air buzzed with it. It was alive with his passion and righteous fury; Dai Atlas was almost jealous of how well he could command a room. But that was not why he was there. 

He hung at the back, leaning against the wall as he watched Pious continue a fiery speech. If Dai Atlas had not already been a believer in the Knights of Cybertron, he found that he may have been swayed by how Pious spoke of them. As it was, he had to focus as to not get lost in the sermon; he was there on business matters, matters of life or death, not spiritual ones. He still found himself nodding along as Pious railed against rampant ratioism, and how they were all equal under Primus with traits that could not be quantified. 

“You are more than a number to be filed away in their grand taxonomy,” he said. “There is no shame in valuing your worth on its own merits, and demanding that to be recognized.”

It was strange, really, how a Point One Percenter and a member of a House had won the loyalty of so many disenfranchised. Perhaps it was one of the reasons  most of the Senate found him so dangerous; he ranked too high to be removed, even if some did not recognize his authoritative power. And he was too compassionate to alienate himself from the have nots of society.

It would be a tragedy for him to be lost. That was why Dai Atlas was there.

After a while, the sermon concluded. Dai Atlas did not move from where he stood, as those in attendance either dispersed or approached Pious in order to speak to him. Those who passed him on their way out ignored him at best, or shot him looks of disdain - or even hatred - at worst. He couldn’t find it in himself to blame them; the Senate was the enemy, and he was a senator. He was just lucky that none of them challenged him, or threw accusations in his direction. Maybe they didn’t dare in a holy place, in front of Pious.

Only when there were only one or two stragglers left did Dai Atlas approach. None of them seemed to notice him, or perhaps they did and were opting to ignore him. That wouldn’t surprise him. He stayed there for a long moment, seconds stretching to minutes, before he cleared his throat. This was not something that could wait, and he should not have put it off.

“Senator,” Pious said, shifting his gaze from his follower to Dai Atlas. Red eyes met red eyes evenly, as they both towered over those that remained. The smile he bore did not hold the same warmth it had just moments before, and there was an angry glint in his eyes. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Though his voice was softer than one would expect from his massive size and fearsome alt mode (he would have been a soldier, Dai Atlas thought, had he not had the privilege of his birth), his tone was firm and a little cold. Pious may be familiar with Dai Atlas’ more progressive and “friend of the people” work, but he still stood above the common ‘bot. Sensing the change in mood, those who had lingered offered farewells to Pious, who in turn gave them a genuine smile and wave, before showing themselves out.

“I’m here on Senate business,” Dai Atlas said, as soon as he was sure no one else could hear. 

Pious hummed, head tilting just a bit. “You?” he said, a mirthless laugh forming somewhere in his voxbox. “And not your  _ goons _ ?” Dai Atlas must have made some kind of face, or some other kind of reaction, because Pious continued on with, “Don’t take me for an idiot, Atlas. I know how you and yours operate.”

“ _ Max, _ ” Dai Atlas said, sharply. Pious looked surprised; not many used such an intimate nickname with him. Dai Atlas almost regretted it, but he needed his attention. “I am warning you, as a fellow believer in the Knights and what they stood for. You’re on the Senate’s radar.”

There was a moment of reflection from Pious, his posturing shifting to something more casual and open as he contemplated Dai Atlas’ words. “Am I in danger?” he asked, regarding Dai Atlas. There was something about his tone that implied he was not caught off guard by this news.

“Yes. They’re looking for an excuse to get rid of you.” Pious let out a bark of a laugh, and frustration flared in Dai Atlas’ chest. “I’m being serious,” he snapped. “I don’t know what they plan on doing, but you have to be careful.”

Pious laughed again, and placed a hand on Dai Atlas’ shoulder. His look was serious, his resolve rock hard. “Thank you, Dai Atlas,” he said. Steady. “But freedom for these people is more important than my own safety. Far more.”

He nodded. It was all he could do, in the moment. He may try again, in the future, but Pious’ words and posture told him there was no room to argue. Before he could say another word, Pious Maximus patted his arm and bade him farewell, leaving him alone in the large room, now empty of the passionate energy from before. He felt strange, standing there, with the knowledge that his words had not even caused a dent in Pious’ behavior.

 

Over a year passed, edging towards the two year mark. Pious Maximus had been “disappeared,” Dai Atlas knew, even if he was not privy to the details. Then, the video came out. It had been plastered all over the news, near inescapable for days on end. And each time Dai Atlas saw it, his spark ached and broke a little more.

A quiet and subdued Pious, speaking of his absence. How he had taken a sabbatical, to reflect upon his life and beliefs. How he had been questioning things as of late, and needed time to himself. And how, at the end of it all, he had realized that his faith was not as strong as it had once been. On and on it went, a lengthy diatribe about losing his religion, as if a single revelation had made the whole thing unravel in the span of eighteen months.

The reaction had been immediate. The Cyberutopians rejected their former leader, but without the firebrand the movement no longer had the footing or prominence it enjoyed before. Dai Atlas did not speak about it, realizing that without the head the body was dying, and that if he were to speak up he may enjoy a similar fate. There was no doubt in his mind that this had been the Senate’s doing.

He only wished that he had done more to prevent it.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of thoughts about Pious Maximus, to be honest? He was barely in the comics but there's a lot to think about ad hell if I don't over think things!!
> 
> Thanks to gaycybertronians for giving this a look over for me :D
> 
> I'm timelessmulder on tumblr


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